Chris, sorry to hear about your bad auction. I had a similar experience last
year. I was contacted after an auction had closed and told that the high
bidder had backed out and that I could have the camera (Olympus C-2500L
digital) for my bid. I accepted the offer and made payment using my PayPal
account which was holding about $200 and the rest going on a credit card. A
few days later, I was contacted by the high bidder asking if I had been
contacted and stating that he hadn't backed out and had made payment on it.
It turned out that three others had been contacted also. Several emails and
a couple of long distance calls later, the seller said that he had several
cameras and please be patient. I initiated a complaint through eBay and
filed for an insurance claim on it. I also contacted my credit card company
and was able to get a refund on the charged part of the cost. I eventually
received the balance of my payment from ebay's insurance but it was several
months. More importantly, I contacted the Internet crime division of the FBI
and made a report. This led to me being contacted by the Connecticut State
Police Computer Crimes unit and filing of complaints against the seller. It
is now over a year later and last I heard, he was trying for a reduced
sentence. It is possible to get satisfaction but it takes time and a lot of
effort. I would suggest contacting the State Police of the State the seller
is in and seeing about filing a complaint. Also you should report it to your
local police. Also try to contact any of the others who were scammed at the
same time. Good Luck.
Ted Beilby
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